Pokemon Ruby Sapphire Knuckle Badge Guide

Rustboro cleanup to Dewford Town. This phase recovers the Devon Goods, unlocks Mr. Briney’s boat, sends you through Granite Cave, delivers Steven’s letter, and clears Brawly.

Route Map

Phase 2 is a story handoff: chase the thief, meet Devon’s president, take the boat, then handle Dewford.

Phase 2 Pokemon Locations

Use this as the quick encounter board for the phase. Rates are rounded from the Ruby/Sapphire encounter tables so you can decide whether a catch is worth hunting before Brawly.

Wild Pokemon

Route 116 And Rusturf Tunnel

Pokemon	Versions	Method & Rate	Notes
Whismur Normal - Lv 6-8	Ruby & Sapphire	Route 116 grass 30%	Available in the listed area during this phase.
Zigzagoon Normal - Lv 6-8	Ruby & Sapphire	Route 116 grass 28%	Available in the listed area during this phase.
Nincada Bug/Ground - Lv 6-7	Ruby & Sapphire	Route 116 grass 20%	Can become Ninjask and Shedinja if you plan around evolution.
Taillow Normal/Flying - Lv 6-8	Ruby & Sapphire	Route 116 grass 20%	Available in the listed area during this phase.
Skitty Normal - Lv 7	Ruby & Sapphire	Route 116 grass 2%	Very rare and mostly a dex/challenge pickup.
Whismur Normal - Lv 5-8	Ruby & Sapphire	Rusturf Tunnel 100%	Guaranteed tunnel encounter pool before Rock Smash shortcuts.

Phase 2 Trainer Data

Rustboro After Roxanne

As soon as you leave the Gym area, the Devon researcher from Petalburg Woods runs by. Follow him east to Route 116. Heal first if Roxanne was messy; Route 116 has enough trainers to punish a tired party.

Route 116 adds Whismur, Nincada, Taillow, and Skitty options depending on the grass patch and version. Nincada is slow early but interesting long-term because it can become Ninjask and Shedinja if you manage the evolution correctly. For a normal playthrough, the most practical catch is still Taillow if you missed one earlier.

Enter Rusturf Tunnel and defeat the grunt holding Peeko and the Devon Goods. The grunt is still not a major boss, but if your team is underleveled from Roxanne, heal before entering.

Devon Corporation

Return the Devon Goods to the researcher, then go to the Devon Corporation. The president gives you two errands: deliver the Letter to Steven in Dewford and deliver the Devon Goods to Captain Stern in Slateport. He also gives you the PokeNav.

The PokeNav is not a battle tool, but it is part of the Gen 3 identity: map, Pokemon Contest condition, Trainer’s Eyes rematch information, and ribbon tracking all live there. Match Call is the Emerald replacement for Trainer’s Eyes, so Ruby/Sapphire players should look for Trainer’s Eyes instead. Once this cutscene is done, go back through Petalburg Woods to Mr. Briney’s cottage on Route 104.

Mr. Briney’s Boat

Mr. Briney now sails you to Dewford Town. Later he can also sail you to Slateport and back, so remember his cottage as a fast travel node before Surf exists.

When you arrive in Dewford, get the Old Rod from the fisherman near the Gym. It is weak, but it gives Magikarp and Tentacool access. Magikarp is a long-term investment into Gyarados; Tentacool becomes one of Hoenn’s better water-route utility Pokemon once it evolves.

Dewford Town

Dewford has a Gym, a cave to the north, and a town trend system that mostly matters for flavor. The important decision is whether to fight Brawly before or after Granite Cave.

The clean route is to enter Granite Cave first, get HM05 Flash from the hiker near the entrance, catch or train what you need, then beat Brawly so Flash becomes usable outside battle. After Brawly, go deeper and deliver Steven’s Letter.

Granite Cave

Granite Cave is excellent for team building. Makuhita is the standout because Fighting coverage is useful into Norman, Sidney, Glacia, and Steven. Abra is strong if you can catch it before Teleport. Geodude gives Rock and Ground utility. Zubat is not impressive immediately but can become Crobat through friendship.

Wild Pokemon

Granite Cave 1F

Pokemon	Versions	Method & Rate	Notes
Makuhita Fighting - Lv 8-10	Ruby & Sapphire	Cave walking 50%	The practical Brawly mirror and a strong Normal counter later.
Zubat Poison/Flying - Lv 7-9	Ruby & Sapphire	Cave walking 30%	Crobat is excellent if you are willing to manage friendship.
Abra Psychic - Lv 8	Ruby & Sapphire	Cave walking 10%	Teleports immediately, so bring a plan if you want it.
Geodude Rock/Ground - Lv 7-8	Ruby & Sapphire	Cave walking 10%	Available in the listed area during this phase.

Wild Pokemon

Granite Cave Lower Floors

Lower floors are much more comfortable after Brawly because Flash becomes usable outside battle.

Pokemon	Versions	Method & Rate	Notes
Aron Steel/Rock - Lv 9-12	Ruby & Sapphire	Cave walking 40%	One of the best long-term Hoenn defensive lines.
Zubat Poison/Flying - Lv 9-12	Ruby & Sapphire	Cave walking 30%	Available in the listed area during this phase.
Abra Psychic - Lv 9-10	Ruby & Sapphire	Cave walking 10%	Available in the listed area during this phase.
Makuhita Fighting - Lv 9-11	Ruby & Sapphire	Cave walking 10%	Available in the listed area during this phase.
Mawile Steel - Lv 10-12	Ruby only	Cave walking 10-20%	Ruby's Granite Cave version exclusive.
Sableye Dark/Ghost - Lv 10-12	Sapphire only	Cave walking 10-20%	Sapphire's Ghost/Dark version exclusive.

Ruby players can find Mawile in Granite Cave, while Sapphire players can find Sableye. Sableye has no weaknesses under the Gen 3 type chart and can trivialize parts of Brawly if you catch one.

Steven is deeper in the cave. Deliver the Letter to receive TM47 Steel Wing. You can deliver the letter before Brawly only if you are comfortable navigating the dark, but for most players the intended order is Gym first, deeper cave second.

Team Recommendations

Role	Best picks for Brawly	Why it matters
Flying offense	Taillow, Wingull, Beautifly	Hits Fighting types super effectively
Psychic offense	Ralts, Abra	Strong special damage if trained
Safety wall	Sableye in Sapphire	Ghost typing ignores Fighting moves in Gen 3
Long-term pickup	Makuhita	Helps later even if it mirrors Brawly here

Must-Grab Items (Phase 2 Master List)

Item	Location	Why You Want It
Devon Goods	Rusturf Tunnel event	Required story item
PokeNav	Devon president	Map and trainer functions
Letter	Devon president	Required for Steven delivery
Old Rod	Dewford fisherman	Unlocks early fishing encounters
HM05 Flash	Granite Cave hiker	Makes dark cave navigation easier after Brawly
TM47 Steel Wing	Steven in Granite Cave	Useful Flying coverage option

Gym Strategy - Brawly, The Fighting Leader

Brawly uses Machop Lv. 17 and Makuhita Lv. 18. His reward is the Knuckle Badge and TM08 Bulk Up. The Knuckle Badge lets you use Flash outside battle.

Taillow is the cleanest common answer because Peck or Wing Attack applies immediate pressure. Wingull and Beautifly also work. Ralts can hit on the special side once trained. Sapphire players with Sableye get a very funny matchup because Fighting moves do not affect Ghost types in Gen 3.

The danger is Bulk Up. If Makuhita starts stacking boosts and you answer with weak neutral attacks, the fight can swing. Keep attacking, use status if you have it, and avoid letting one Pokemon absorb repeated boosted hits.

Version Note Summary

Granite Cave is where Ruby and Sapphire start to feel different. Ruby’s Mawile is a Steel type with useful resistances but uneven offense. Sapphire’s Sableye is immediately safer into Brawly because Ghost ignores Fighting.

Phase 2 Checklist

• Recover the Devon Goods in Rusturf Tunnel.
• Return to Devon Corporation for the Letter and PokeNav.
• Use Mr. Briney's boat to reach Dewford Town.
• Get the Old Rod from the Dewford fisherman.
• Enter Granite Cave and collect HM05 Flash.
• Train a Brawly answer to around Lv. 17-19.
• Defeat Brawly and receive the Knuckle Badge.
• Deliver Steven's Letter in Granite Cave and receive TM47 Steel Wing.